You always get a sense of whether you made the right decision hiring a certain coach from how players react to it. The Chicago Bears learned this lesson the hard way last year when wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was asked about offensive coordinator Shane Waldron joining the team. He had worked with Waldron the year prior in Seattle. After an uncomfortably long pause, all Smith-Njigba could muster was, "Good luck." That was a gigantic red flag at the time, and it certainly played out as feared, with Waldron getting fired barely halfway into the season. So when the Bears hired Ben Johnson as their new head coach, some were nervous that the same warning signs would emerge about him.
Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be the case. Star Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown looked depressed when asked about Johnson leaving. There were zero indications people were happy about it. Not only that, but even players from other teams admitted the Bears made the right move. Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney was asked on the NFL Spotlight podcast about the state of the NFC North. He singled out Johnson's arrival in Chicago as a big turning point for the franchise.
Ben Johnson should be able to fix the Bears' longtime Achilles heel.
One of the reasons the Packers have been able to control the rivalry for so long is how dismal Chicago's offense has been over the years. In the past 30 seasons, they have ranked 15th or higher in points scored just six times. It is remarkably easy to beat opponents that struggle to score, especially when you've enjoyed the presence of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. During his three years in Detroit, Johnson's offense never ranked outside the top five in scoring. Even though he won't bring the Lions' roster with him, there is no reason to think he can't work the same magic in Chicago with Caleb Williams, D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, and Rome Odunze.
All they need to do is fortify the offensive line. Ben Johnson is smart and creative enough to utilize these weapons in the right way. When things clicked this season for the Bears, they proved they could put up points against anybody. Coaching was always the primary issue. Johnson solves that. McKinney is correct. If things go as planned, the Bears will be a team nobody wants to play next season.
